


Worth It So Far

by Capostrophe



Series: At The End of the Day [8]
Category: Bread (TV)
Genre: Anniversary, Developing Relationship, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Insecurity, Love, Reflection, Romantic Fluff, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-29
Updated: 2013-09-29
Packaged: 2017-12-27 22:51:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/984549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Capostrophe/pseuds/Capostrophe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He has a good feeling about this.</p>
<p>Joey reflects on past events and his blossoming new romance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Worth It So Far

 

**1994**

Three weeks into a relationship is a rather difficult time. You're used to the other person _a little_ by now, but you're still adjusting to being _with_ them, to those things about them you'd change if you could but can't.

There are just a few bits and pieces Joey would change about Martina- just little things, insignificant little habits that irk him. The fact that she wants the same radio station constantly when they're in the Jag- won't even let him switch during the adverts. The fact that if he so much as mentions the Social Security, even in a casual conversation that has nothing to do with money, she automatically assumes he's up to no good. The fact that when he stays over, she always, always has to sleep with her arm draped around his _neck_. It's as if she's subconsciously trying to strangle him, and it's uncomfortable. No matter how many times he moves it, she'll always stir and it'll end up there again.

But Joey would leave those well alone, if only he could change Martina's more worrisome habits. She doesn't like to talk about her feelings, has to be coaxed, and if he pushes her too hard she shuts down altogether. She's still very quick to believe the worst of him, to try to snatch away her trust, and they've fought about that several times. Joey's beginning to make some progress, he thinks, but Martina's wariness still concerns him, and, he decides, he's going to stamp it out of her somehow. Someday he'll make her realise he's not going to abandon her, even if takes him the rest of both their lives to hammer the message home.

But all in all, when they're not arguing, and when she's not trapping his neck with her arm in her sleep, and when she's not tarring him with the same brush as all the people who've hurt her in the past, when they're just going about their daily business, what they have, Joey thinks, is quite good. It's more than quite good, in fact. It's _fantastic._

The family is wary. Of course they are, given his past history with relationships, given Roxy, especially, and given Martina's job, but Joey thinks he can sense they're warming to her already. Grandad's even made an effort to ask about her once or twice whilst snatching his tray out of Joey's hands. And Martina's even started talking to his brothers when she encounters them outside work. They'll all get along well soon enough, he predicts. In fact, he's certain of it. And he's glad of it. After spending so long with Roxy, who resented his devotion to his family, Martina supports it, encourages him to make the most of it. The loss of her brother means that, while she does go on about their 'sickening unity' when in the DSS, she wants him to appreciate them, to know how lucky he is to have them.

This is going to work out, he thinks. He has a good feeling about it. He hasn't felt that way about many relationships. His first girlfriend had been a schoolyard crush more than anything, had only lasted a week. A couple of similar short romances had followed- most of them double-dates with Jack which all resulted in a couple of bonks and then a break-up. Then there'd been Alice, who'd looked absolutely _gorgeous_ \- physically, had been everything he'd wanted in a woman- but he'd never really got the sense that there was any proper connection between them, and anyway, she always used to slam the door of his Jag. Then a few flings here and there, he can't even remember the names of most of them, and then Roxy Hartwell, who, of course, left him constantly feeling _tragically_ in love.

The love he feels for Martina is different. It's not tragic and consuming, it's safe and comforting and warm, the sort of thing that doesn't make him feel like it'll tear him apart, but instead puts him back together again, makes him feel whole for the first time since, well, he would have thought since he lost Oscar, but, really, he hasn't felt whole like this since Roxy left the first time, if he's honest.

Yes, he thinks, he has a good feeling about this.

* * *

'Kissin' in the street, they were. _In the street!_ For anyone to see!'

'Billy, we've all heard this story,' Joey says, raising his eyes skywards, 'I'm sure it's not gonna suddenly get more interesting on its tenth rendition.'

He and his siblings are all gathered round the kitchen table, having met up for lunch, and Billy's rambling on about what's been his favourite topic of conversation for the last three weeks- Joey and Martina's surprising, unexpected relationship. Of course, by this time it's not so surprising or unexpected- they've had nearly a month to come to terms with it, and, with some minor grumbling and questioning from various parties, they have. It's only Billy who still insists on demanding what everyone thinks and relating the 'traumatic' way he discovered their relationship.

'She turned up at our 'ouse, right,' he begins for the _eleventh_ time.

'Yeah, we know,' says Adrian.

'And Joey went outside to 'ave a word with her- and they were gone a long time, so I went to see what was keeping Joey…'

'And there they were, kissin' in the street, yeah, we know,' says Jack, 'and if you don't shut yer gob and stop goin' on about it every minute of every day, next time someone walks into the street, there _you'll_ be, hangin' from a lamp post.'

Billy opens his mouth to retaliate, and Joey thinks it's high time he intervened. He holds up his hands. 'Okay, okay, that's enough, now cut it, both of you. I think by now we've grasped the fact that Martina and I kissed in the street. I think we've grasped the fact that I've moved on from Roxy and am datin' the DHSS lady. We've all got the picture. Now why don't we start settin' the table for Mam, eh?'

Adrian, Aveline and Jack nod, immediately get up and help Joey lay out the cutlery.

Billy remains in his seat, brow furrowed.

'In the _street_ ,' he says.

Joey groans. Sometimes he despairs of that lad.

* * *

'Where, precisely, are you takin' me, Mister Boswell?'

'If I told you that, it wouldn't be much of a surprise, would it?'

Martina folds her arms, stares out the car window. 'It'd better be a decent one to 'ave pulled me out o' work for.'

Joey drums his fingers nervously on the steering wheel. 'Er…I'm not so sure about that, sweetheart. It's not all that creative- I'm savin' the really special surprises for our one-year anniversary.'

'I shudder to think.'

Joey laughs, and resolves to come up with something really good for when they _have_ been together a year, just so her 'shuddering to think' will be justified.

'If this is supposedly a surprise, shouldn't I be blindfolded or somethin'?'

'I told you, sunshine, it's not _that good._ '

They pull up outside the building, climb out of the car, and Joey, his 'surprise' seeming stupider by the minute, nonetheless raises his arms to make a triumphant announcement.

'Happy three weeks, sweetheart!'

'The pub?' Martina raises her eyebrows at him. 'You dragged me out o' work to go _drinkin'?'_

'Not just _any_ pub, Martina!' Joey throws up his arms. 'Doesn't this place have any special significance to you?'

She smiles in spite of herself, shakes her head at him. 'O' course it does. You don't honestly think I'd forget _that_ quickly, do you?'

'Well, I should hope not, Martina. I'd be payin' to have someone examine your brain if I thought you'd forgotten our first date so quickly.'

Martina raises a questioning eyebrow at him. 'That was a _date?'_

'Of course. There was wine and kissin' and witty conversation- you don't think that qualifies as a date?' True, it technically falls outside the three weeks, was nearly a month beforehand at least, but Joey still considers it a special moment in their history. After all, without that evening, he probably never would have realised the true extent of his feelings for Martina, probably wouldn't be here now to celebrate the fact that they've been dating for nearly a month.

'There was wine because you insisted on buyin' it,' Martina retorts, 'there was kissin' because we were drunk, and as fer the conversation, it was about as witty as your Billy.'

Joey laughs again. She's making jabs about his family- she always does, but it's so different to when Roxy did it. Martina doesn't mean any harm; he's certain she's secretly fond of them, just as she was secretly fond of him.

'I suppose I can hardly complain, though, can I? Last time I came 'ere I 'ad a man buy me drinks and follow me home. Maybe I'll be lucky again this time.'

Joey plays along, pretending to be insanely jealous. 'And I shall try to cure my broken heart while you're gallivantin' off with whoever that is…'

Martina makes a face. 'And you say _I_ 'ave abandonment issues.'

It's meant to be a joke, a tease, but it makes Joey slightly uncomfortable when she says this, because, yes, she clearly does, and she really needs to address them at some point. But for now he lets it slide, because she's happy enough at the moment, _they're_ happy enough, and he's had this evening planned for a week. And no-one and nothing is going to stop this occasion from being just wonderful, just _lovely_ , just as he planned.

'Not _you two_!' exclaims the bartender as soon as they enter.

Joey puts on his most dignified expression. 'Greetings! And why, may I ask, would our presence offend you in any way? Perhaps our combined brilliance is too much to cope with in one sitting?'

The man behind the counter looks just a tad confused. Eloquence, apparently, isn't one of his strong points, and Joey's complex manner of articulation is wasted on him. He rephrases.

'What's the matter with us, eh? Too much for you to handle, son?'

'No, no, don't get me wrong, mate, I'm glad o' the business- 'specially when you're in the chair. You forked out a lot the other night, and if I get a massive tip like that again I ain't gonna say nothin'. It's just…' he stops mid-way through polishing a beer glass, leans in close. 'It's just that some o' my other customers 'ad a few complaints about the…er, the snoggin' that went on last time.'

Joey snorts, doing his utmost to hold in the eruption of laughter that wants to escape him. Beside him, Martina's gone rather pink. She glowers at Joey. 'I thought you said it wasn't as bad as all that.'

'Weren't that bad? You was-' the bartender begins, and Joey's quick to cut him off with a threatening glare.

'Anyway,' he says, chuckling a little guiltily, 'would you happen to remember, kind sir, what our usuals were?'

'Yeh, you ordered 'em enough times,' says the bartender, and Joey widens his eyes once more in warning before turning to Martina, helping her into her chair.

'Well, then, sweetheart, here we are again.'

She gives him a withering look. 'I'm aware of where we are, Joey. You don't need ter announce it like that.'

'Does it feel different this time?' He's not sure if that was _quite_ how he wanted to word this question, but that's how it comes out, anyway, and he hopes she realises what he's trying to ask all the same.

'You mean, because it's broad daylight and we're sober this time? It does, yeah.'

'No, no, no,' he tosses his head. The drinks have arrived and are sitting on the counter, and he beats her to taking hold of them, lifting hers with a flourishing flick of his wrist and offering it to her like a gentleman. 'I mean, to me, things feel a bit more… _certain_ , this time. Last time we were here, we were both confused, weren't we?'

'I don't know if I'd say _that_ , Mister Boswell. You seemed ter know what you were doin'.'

He decides not to pick up the lead and start a verbal battle, because he really, more than anything, wants this moment to be serious, not to turn into a mock-argument.

'What I mean is, we didn't know what it all meant, did we?'

'Was there even an 'it all' at that point?'

'Look, I think you may be missin' the point I'm tryin' to make here. Perhaps deliberately, but that's a conversation for another day.' He squares himself in his seat. 'I'm bein' serious. We're _together_ now- and we know we love each other. It's been three weeks since you stopped bein' stupid and stubborn, since you realised that I, Joey Boswell, was your heart's true desire, and decided to act on those deep feelings…'

' _Serious_ , you said.'

Joey tones down the dramatics, does the one thing Martina's always nagging him to do. He gets straight to the point, asks the question that's been on his mind.

'Has it been worth it so far?'

Martina smiles, a gentle, warm one that melts some of the frost from her face. 'Yeah. It 'as.'

And that's all Joey needs to hear. The conversation doesn't go on- it doesn't need to, really. They've expressed what needs to be expressed, and now Joey's quite happy just to comfortably contemplate the fact that Martina seems to believe, as he does, that this relationship really is worth making a proper go of.

That she, like him, thinks this really _could_ be fantastic.

They sit in silence for a few minutes. Joey studies Martina through his glass, and, much to his amused delight, though she tries to keep her eyes moving around the room, they keep darting back towards him, more specifically towards his _mouth._

He puts his drink down and smirks. 'Well, go on, then.'

'Go on what?'

'Go on and kiss me, sweetheart! That's what!'

'And who said I was goin' to?'

'Well, you did last time we were here, didn't you? If you do it again, it'll have happened _twice_. It's practically a time-honoured tradition, isn't it, sweetheart?'

'Oh, well, if you put it like _that_ ,' Martina says, and, despite the fact that just a few minutes ago she was complaining about the questionable merits of doing so, she keeps with tradition and presses her lips to his.

Joey sees the bartender giving them disapproving looks. He really _will_ have to think of somewhere better to take Martina on their one-year anniversary- looks like they won't be _allowed_ back in here at this rate.

* * *

It's stormy outside, the rain pattering down, and Joey's pretty sure some of it's dripping in through a hole in Martina's ceiling. He rolls his eyes, turns onto his side, facing away from the leak and towards Martina's sleeping form. She doesn't half look beautiful when she's asleep- not that she doesn't when she's awake, especially with those huge blue eyes open and looking at him, but that's neither here nor there- and Joey wants to kiss her through the semi-darkness.

The wind whistles outside, and the air turns colder. Joey shuffles closer to her, cuddles against her, trying to steal some of her warmth. She murmurs something in her sleep, stirs, her arm snaking up and over his collarbone, coming to rest in its usual place just under his chin.

Joey frowns. Extracting his own arm from under her, he carefully takes hold of her elbow and guides it lower, so she's now wrapped around his shoulders instead. _There. That's better, isn't it, sweetheart?_

He leans over, presses a kiss to her shoulder and settles down, letting the sound of the rain lull him and the memories of these wonderful three weeks put a contented smile on his face as he starts to drift off. It's been a very happy time, despite the occasional rows, and, Joey thinks, he's truly glad she came to her senses and decided to admit she loved him. He had been a little worried, when he first realised all the extra time he was spending with her was the result of his falling in love with her, and not, as he'd originally thought, just a gesture of friendship, or an excuse to talk to someone who'd gone through similar painful relationship troubles to his own, who could sympathise. He'd been worried it wouldn't work, that it'd be wrong to invest feelings in her- after all, it's still only been two years after Roxy and Oscar, and after a love that great, which crashed and burned so spectacularly, to find himself falling in love again so soon sounds just a little desperate, just a little bit like a rebound.

But Joey knows it's not just a rebound, and it's far from desperate. He's always admired Martina, right from the day he met her, and he thought of her often when he was married to Roxy, wondering what she was doing and how her relationship with Shifty might be working out. And then, when he returned to his old way of earning money- collecting Social Security and doing sneaky little things on the side, suddenly something clicked. When he was with Roxy, despite how completely in love with her he was, he knew she was the wrong sort of person. When he looked at Martina, after being away from her for years, after having thought about her a lot during that absence, it suddenly hit him that she was- _is -_ the _right_ sort of person to love. And what's more, he always had loved her, a little. And from that moment onward, every moment he'd spent with her had made him fall further and deeper in love with her, and (though she refused to admit it) she with him.

And every day he's spending with her now is making him fall deeper in love with her, too. He loves her so very, very much.

Martina makes a little humming noise, and her arm winds its way back up to its original position. Joey sighs.

Even if she insists on doing _that_.

Sometimes she annoys him, with these habits of hers, and he _knows_ he annoys her no end, but they're really making a go of it, and he really, _really_ thinks they could have a future.

And so Joey lies there and stares at the ceiling, Martina's arm trapping his neck, rain dripping through the hole in the roof on the other side of the room, and the happy memories of the past few weeks and his hopes for the weeks, the months, the years to come gently nudging him into a contented sleep.

Yes, he thinks, he has a good feeling about this.


End file.
